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iPhone It In: Football Manager 2010
Ask any sports fan and they'll tell you about the importance of stats. Beneath all of the flash and cash, an athlete is only as good as his or her numbers. And in Sega's Football Manager 2010 on the iPhone, math is pretty much the entirety of the game: Calculating salaries, player skills and tactics -- all in an attempt to put the odds in your favor.
iPhone It In: Final Fantasy I and II
I won't bother to review Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II on iPhone in terms of the content of the games. Chances are, you've encountered at least the first Final Fantasy, or at the very least you have an idea of the kind of early turn-based RPG it is. (Final Fantasy II, which never made it outside of Japan until 2002, is a bit of a different story. It's old-school, but also really weird.) The gameplay is pure NES vintage, the stories are as barebones as ever, and the graphics are identical to the recent PSP remakes. What is important to review for the iPhone port of any console game is the interface. And Final Fantasy is the rare console game that can make the transition to an iPhone control scheme intact. Not only that, the new interface is actually pleasant to interact with.
iPhone It In: Call of Duty: Zombies
I'm a big proponent of games you can play with single taps on the iPhone and, as such, I was pretty skeptical about how well Call of Duty: World at War's zombie mode would make the leap to the diminutive platform. Though I've played FPS games that technically worked on iPhone, they're very rarely something I find myself returning to. Call of Duty: Zombies cleverly skirts the issue by providing so much help with aiming, you're able to focus on what makes the mode so much fun on consoles. %Gallery-78313%
iPhone It In: Orbital
I'm what you'd consider a pretty hardcore iPhone gamer (I know, does not compute). I probably have 30 games on my phone, and that's whittled down to my personal "best of the best." Near the top of that list is Orbital, a game that, like Canabalt, I can play anytime, anywhere I get the urge. Although unlike any of the other quick pick-up games I own, Orbital has a tendency to make me forget what I was doing, find somewhere comfy to plop and play for ... a really embarrassingly long time. Part of that's the game's simple concept -- a "cannon" continually pans left and right at the bottom of the play field, and tapping the screen fires a projectile. It ricochets off the top and sides of the screen based on your aim, then expands until it touches the edges or another sphere. Each of these orbs in space starts with three "hit points;" hit it that many times and it explodes. So, the goal is to ricochet your shots in a way that they hit multiple orbs and create longer and longer destruction combos -- all while avoiding the game-ending mistake of your shot going off the bottom of the screen. Oh, and then there's Gravity Mode. %Gallery-84160%
iPhone It In: Crush the Castle
We talk about a wide variety of iPhone games in this feature, but we're increasingly in support of games like Canabalt which require just a single touch to play. Call us lazy, but one-thumb tapping seems to be the exact amount of interaction we need on our phones, and Crush the Castle, our latest iPhone addiction, delivers on just that. You play as a sentient trebuchet attacking an increasingly intricate and fortified series of castles filled to the brim with royalty and their servants. With a single touch, you'll start the firing arc, with a second tap to choose the exact moment to release your (increasingly potent) ammunition. The fewer shots it takes you to bring down the castle, the greater the reward, in the form of bronze, silver and gold medals. %Gallery-84161%
iPhone It In: Phantom Mansion: The Red Chamber
More than any other feature on Joysitq, iPhone It In is a meritocracy. If I or some other member of the staff finds themselves unable to stay away from a game, it makes it into this feature. The end. And it just so happens that this week, I can't keep my thumb off of Phantom Mansion: The Red Chamber. It's an utterly simple puzzle-action game, presented via a top-down view of several rooms in the titular mansion. You'll control a little dude named Hector as he wanders from room to room using the keys within to collect all the skull-shaped souls in each, manipulating boxes, switches, etc. to navigate past pitfalls and the mansion's skeletal denizens. The weird thing is, I don't know why I can't stop playing the thing. %Gallery-82950%
iPhone It In: A Christmas Santa
You're going to think I'm messing with you, that this is some sort of holiday gag, but I assure you that it is not: I can not remember ever being as addicted to a game as I was to A Christmas Santa. For a full calendar day it absolutely ruled my life, and then, just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. You think it's easy to type these words and admit that as you sit there all smug and judgmental? Well, it's not. But give me a chance to explain myself and I'm hopeful that you'll walk away -- if not convinced, perhaps just a bit more tolerant. %Gallery-80849%
iPhone It In: Cobra Command
The iPhone is the best thing to happen to FMV games since ... well, I can't think of anything good to happen to FMV games in the last ten years or so. Basically, the iPhone is one of the first portable platforms able to store and play the high-quality video that games like Dragon's Lair are known for -- and FMV games usually have uncomplicated enough control schemes to survive the transition to the iPhone intact. Cobra Command is actually a bit more complex than your average Dragon's Lair type game, but it works just fine with the iPhone's controls. It's also the most '80s thing you'll ever experience. %Gallery-76805%
iPhone It In: bitFLIP
I first heard about iPhone pseudo-puzzler bitFLIP from the game's developer, Metamoorephosis Games owner (and JPAG member) Josh Hernandez. I'd be remiss to not mention upfront the hesitation with which I approached reviewing said game for iPhone It In, given the development source being a Joystiq reader and podcast listener. It was a convenient delight then when I first loaded the game up on my 3G and had a thoroughly enjoyable time playing it. Though a truly egregious boot time put me off from playing bitFLIP during my every free moment over the two or so weeks I spent with the game (that time was reserved for Canabalt), I was still anxious to play it when my free time was longer than a scant few moments. Mixing interesting puzzle mechanics, great music, a truly unique (and often beautiful) visual presentation, and a variety of gameplay options, I can confidently say that there's more than enough enjoyable gaming to be had here to warrant your two bucks. %Gallery-78849%
iPhone It In: Canabalt
Canabalt is a 2D side-scroller where you control a gentleman continuously running across rooftops and cranes, gradually building up speed while avoiding various objects which will either slow down or kill him. Rather than "score" or "points," developer Semi Secret Software measures your success by the distance you manage to cross, even allowing for instant bragging via Twitter in-game. It's a simple premise with a surprising amount of depth. And it's exactly the kind of game I want to pick up and play on my iPhone. Canabalt is perfect for the device: the gameplay comes in short, addictive bursts, it loads up quickly, and it employs the touchscreen in an intuitive way. Though a vast wealth of quick and addictive games now reside on my phone, I find myself constantly returning to Canabalt's rooftops and blaring techno music whenever I have a spare moment. %Gallery-77883%
iPhone It In: Dexter
Some iPhone games offer a simplistic getaway for gamers on the move, while others throw everything at you including the kitchen sink. Dexter: The Game manages to combine a lengthy story based on the television program's first season with a slew of mini games, and while some of the tasks are strangely incomprehensible, Dexter's video game debut is a solid overall experience. %Gallery-46227%
iPhone It In: Wolfenstein RPG
I've come to expect a certain modicum of brevity in games played on my iPhone. Games like Doom Resurrection and Worms proved problematic, taking far too long to get into and out of games, or simply pushing my little 3G's processor to the limit (and being choppy as a result). Meanwhile, smaller titles like Drop7 and Baseball Slugger: Home Run Race 3D excel due to their size. Wolfenstein RPG shocked me in this respect. I thoroughly enjoyed the deeper experience that the RPG elements offered (a leveling system and well-rewarded exploration), while save-anywhere functionality and short load times encourage quick gameplay sessions. In so many words, it offers the best of both worlds: a deep experience with jump in/jump out functionality. %Gallery-71326%
iPhone It In: Rope 'n' Fly
There are deeper, more engrossing, better crafted experiences on the iPhone than Robert Szeleney's Rope 'n' Fly, but you'd be hard pressed to find many that take advantage of the platform so well.It is, basically, a Spider-Man game. No, of course it's not called that, and (after a recent update) the main character is no longer clad in Spidey's trademark red and blue, but there's no doubt that the game's trying to simulate the feeling of tooling about as the world's favorite wall-crawler.
iPhone It In: Space Invaders Infinity Gene
Space Invaders Infinity Gene sounds like a complete retread of Space Invaders Extreme: a new shooter made by mixing retro-style graphics with techno music and brightly-colored, swirling visuals. But Infinity Gene, ported to iPhone from Japanese mobile platforms, is a very different game, with little relation to either Space Invaders Extreme or the original game outside of a few visual shoutouts. And as such, Extreme's brilliance doesn't make this new reimagining redundant.%Gallery-69389%
iPhone It In: Worms
There isn't a whole lot to say about my six or so hours spent with Worms, and as such, this won't be one of the longer iPhone game reviews you read anytime soon. In fact, if you've played past Worms games, then you're going to find some pretty glaring issues to complain about here and not much of anything new. The game looks great, has tons of content (near equivalent to the recent XBLA release, Worms 2: Armageddon), and doesn't cost a whole lot of money ($5). There are, however, a handful of niggling complaints that could be made about the lack of precision control necessary for a time-based game, as well as long load times strewn throughout the game's menus. Unfortunately, these little issues add up to a much bigger one -- they make me not want to play the game. %Gallery-68930%
iPhone It In: Drop7
Bonus: Joystiq is giving away Drop7 download codes! Details at the end of the review: You know what, I'm just gonna say it: I love Drop7. I've been evangelizing the game since I downloaded the free "Lite" version two weeks ago -- and subsequently bought the full version for $2.99 -- trying desperately to explain the game's "Tetris meets Sudoku" concept to anyone who'll listen. Forget about your Super Monkey Balls and Metal Gear Solid Touches -- Drop7 feels built from the ground up with the iPhone (at least sort of) in mind, and easily warrants the same praise that games like Rolando and Word Fu have earned. It's easy to jump into a game and play for as little (or as long) as you'd like, just the way I like my phone-based gaming. Oh, and before you jump all over me for not playing the game earlier, I'm quite aware that the game came out all the way back in late January, which is like ten thousand internet years. It doesn't matter though, because Drop7 is timeless.%Gallery-68350%
iPhone It In: Baseball Slugger: Home Run Race 3D
I'm sure we lost a good percentage of you with the title of the game alone, both for its connection to sports and its inarguable terribleness. Honestly, it's probably best, if only to stave off the complete stoppage of the world economy. It may seem like hyperbole -- OK, it is hyperbole -- but that's just how addictive I found BS:HRR3D (you know, I'm just gonna call it Slugger).%Gallery-67854%
iPhone It In: Doom Resurrection
What's the most you would spend on a game for your iPhone? Not a port, mind you, but a brand new game based on a classic franchise, developed specifically with the iPhone's control system in mind -- $5? $7? How about $10? Try as I might, while playing id Software's latest Doom iteration -- Doom Resurrection -- it was near impossible to shake the uneasy feeling that $10 is just a bit too much money for the experience.Truth be told, the game is "big" -- Doom Resurrection could easily be ported to gaming-specific handhelds -- though it weighs in under 100 MB. The problem with the scope of the game, however, is the resultant long load times and an occasionally choppy framerate -- the length of time it takes to jump into the game make it something I don't want to play on my way here or there (full disclosure: I'm using an iPhone 3G and it may run significantly better on the 3GS). %Gallery-67049%
iPhone It In: Guinness World Records
Some iPhone games are the picture of simplicity, honing a premise down to one, bite-sized gameplay idea. There are others though that take a kitchen-sink approach, seeing just how much stuff they can jam into Apple's portable. Guinness World Records, a reworked version of the Wii/DS release, is firmly in the latter group, but it thankfully manages to hit the mark more often than it misses.%Gallery-67043%
iPhone It In: The Sims 3
I'm not going to sit here and act like I'm not embarrassed by how enthralled I am with the downsized version of The Sims 3 that EA released for the iPhone. But the fact remains: I'm hooked, and I figure if I pass the addiction on to you, I won't seem like such an oddball.I haven't played the new Sims release, so I don't really have that as a frame of reference. What I do know is that all the tropes of the series seem to be here: Create a person, meet their needs and help them get a family, career, the whole bit.%Gallery-66518%
